Best Legal Studies Schools Near Cedar Rapids, IA (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Cedar Rapids, Iowa has 1 accredited school offering legal studies programs. Cedar Rapids has a population of about 136,859. Median household income is $67,859 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area, the top-earning legal studies-related role is Lawyer at a median $137,570 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer legal studies programs near Cedar Rapids, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cedar Rapids city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Cedar Rapids. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA 101.9 miles from Cedar Rapids
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,824
Avg net price $21,774/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Drake University

Des Moines, IA 104.8 miles from Cedar Rapids
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,901
Avg net price $29,127/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 80

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA 186.3 miles from Cedar Rapids
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,156
Avg net price $18,846/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Iowa schools on the Iowa legal studies page.

Cedar Rapids is part of the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area (BLS area code 16300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Paralegal and Legal Assistant$57,420Cedar Rapids, IA$64,517
Lawyer$137,570Cedar Rapids, IA$154,573
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$45,370Cedar Rapids, IA$50,978

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Cedar Rapids at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population136,859Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$67,859Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+32.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)89.0 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering legal studies programs near Cedar Rapids. The closest is University of Wisconsin-Platteville in Platteville, WI (80.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Wisconsin-Platteville (80.7 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying legal studies-related roles near Cedar Rapids are: Lawyer ($137,570), Paralegal and Legal Assistant ($57,420), Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($45,370). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Marion instead of Cedar Rapids?

Marion, IA is 7.2 miles from Cedar Rapids and has its own set of local legal studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Cedar Rapids’s median household income of $67,859 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cedar Rapids while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Other Programs Available in Cedar Rapids

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Cedar Rapids:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Legal Studies Schools in Iowa: Online Programs (2026)